I did a search for “BYU” on Twitter on Saturday night to look for articles about the Cougars’ thrilling basketball victory over Gonzaga.* Instead I got a steady stream of 17- and 18-year-old Mormon kids either celebrating getting into BYU or lamenting their rejection letters. It’s that time of year. (more…)

[Editors–we hope that this unusual account of a Church-run focus group, along with the ensuing discussion, will be of general interest]

The church was mostly quiet last night. Brother and Sister Markoff were in the cultural hall with their two younger children planning the stage arrangement for the Christmas program Sister Markoff has been rehearsing with Primary children for the past month. There was no sign of anyone downstairs around the bishop’s and clerks’ offices. Back upstairs, outside the Relief Society room, a few middle-aged parents sat waiting and talking. More arrived. Brother Fletcher joked that we were going to find we had came for a half hour presentation encouraging us to prepare for senior missions. Some continued along that theme that we had actually been summoned to discuss lowering the age for senior missionaries. A quarter before eight, the Relief Society door opened, and four priests and six laurels walked out. In we went, where a man in his young thirties sat dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt and tie.

Mah stake president gave a talkin’ to our gennulmen youngun’s not too long ago on preparin’ fer mishinary service. Durned if he din’t give them fellers some well-placed expostulations:

Sittin’ on yer Francis all the live-long day pushin’ knobs on an electronical gadget ain’t perzactly the best way to tone up for strenyoous mishinary service.

The natchural knack fer pickin’ up furrin talk dies out by age 18, so it behoofivies you to already have some practice at it, just in case you end up shippin’ out to some exotical place where they don’t speak Utahan, like China or New York City.

You kin’t preach what you ain’t believin’ yer ownself. So familiarate yerself now with the Holy Word, and take out yer soul now and then fer a good inspectin’.

You might perchance not wish to be in too great a rush. Goin’ at 18 ain’t carved in stone. You kin wait ’til 19 if need be. In fact, sez the stake president, I may be insistin’ on it for some of you young’uns.

On a belated note, you need to grow a thick enough hide to handle a good snort of rejecshun.

That last one is the first partway decent argyment I’ve ever heered for young bucks to be doin’ any datin’.

Charles Murray has identified community as one of the four areas from which most people get the greatest satisfaction in life. He has also identified it as one of the areas that is breaking down for the growing white underclass.